Gordon Ramsay

Michelin Stars

In 1998 at the age of 31, Gordon set up his first wholly owned restaurant, Gordon Ramsay, on the former site of La Tante Claire in Chelsea.  A year later he opened Pétrus with his protégé Marcus Wareing as Chef Patron, in St. James's. Within seven months it had won a Michelin star.

In June 2000 Gordon won The Chef of the Year Award at the Cateys. His restaurant Gordon Ramsay was voted the Top Restaurant in the U.K. with a score of 28 in the 2001 London Zagat Survey and was also named as the best Fine Dining Restaurant in the 2001 Harden's Guide. These ratings continued in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005.

On 19th January 2001 Restaurant Gordon Ramsay gained its third Michelin star in the Michelin Red Guide Great Britain & Ireland.

In October 2001 Gordon opened Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's which gained a Michelin star in 2003.

Gordon has extensive consultancy agreements with a number of blue chip companies including Singapore Airlines, Booker Cash and Carry Limited and Aramark Limited.

At the beginning of October 2002 Gordon Ramsay Holdings Limited took over the whole of the food and beverage operation at The Connaught Hotel with Angela Hartnett at the helm. Her restaurant MENU won its first Michelin star in January 2004.

In 2003 Gordon Ramsay Holdings re-launched The Savoy Grill with Marcus Wareing. The restaurant achieved its first Michelin star in 2004. This was followed with the opening of Boxwood Café at The Berkeley. At the same time the Michelin starred Pétrus came from St. James's to join Boxwood Café at The Berkeley.

Television Success

May 2004 saw Gordon Ramsay star in the Channel 4 series Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, a series of four one-hour programmes, later to be awarded a BAFTA. The programme was launched simultaneously with Gordon's recipe book Gordon Ramsay Kitchen Heaven published by the Penguin Group. Shortly after this, Gordon was given two weeks to direct a group of celebrities towards Michelin standard cooking in the ITV series Hell's Kitchen.

2005 confirmed Gordon as one of the UK's major television talents. A second series of Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares was followed by the very successful US version of Hell's Kitchen for Fox TV. November brought the debut of Channel 4's The F-Word, a high-octane food show with cooking, topical VT's, food campaigns and celebrity guests. All the action was set against the backdrop of a full working kitchen and over the course of the show Gordon and his brigade prepared a three-course menu for diners.

May 2005 saw Gordon release his sixth book, Gordon Ramsay Makes it Easy published by Quadrille. This includes a DVD with recipe demonstrations, a new concept in cookery book publishing. Gordon also launched his eighth restaurant, maze, in London's Grosvenor Square with Jason Atherton. Winning instant acclaim and a host of awards, showcasing a flexible grazing menu focusing on French Cuisine with Asian influences in an informal and relaxed environment.

In July 2005 Gordon opened his first restaurant in Japan at The Conrad Tokyo, the city's newest luxury hotel with Andrew Cook leading the kitchen brigade.  The year was rounded off with Gordon's award of an OBE in the New Year's Honours list.

In 2006, a third series of Kitchen Nightmares appeared on Channel 4. A second series of the US Hell's Kitchen was shown in the USA and ranked number 1 in its period among key demographics. In the UK a second series of Channel 4's The F-Word was screened in June, which received fantastic ratings, 3.9 million viewers, and 17.3% of the total share. Alongside The F-Word ran a TV publication by Quadrille: Gordon Ramsay's Sunday Lunch and Other Recipes from the F-Word. In May, a range of Gordon Ramsay tableware became available in partnership with Royal Doulton. The second phase launched in October, focusing on oven to tableware.

In September 2006, Gordon’s eponymous restaurant, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay (68 Royal Hospital Road) reopened following a major refurbishment in excess of £1 million. Restaurant Gordon Ramsay retained its number one position as the country’s top gastronomic experience as rated in the 2007 Hardens Guide, as well as gaining the highest ratings for service and food.

Over the Pond...

Gordon Ramsay made his stateside debut in 2006 with the opening of Gordon Ramsay at The London. The restaurant is located at 151 West 54th in The London NYC Hotel (formerly the Rihga Royal), part of the LXR Luxury Resorts collection. The hotel has undergone a $50 million refurbishment by designer David Collins. Formal dining, with seating for 45, will take cues from Restaurant Gordon Ramsay on Royal Hospital Road in Chelsea, whereas The London Bar will offer a more casual dining and bar experience for up to 70 guests alongside a further 45 seats for guests to drink in the bar. Modeled on the small-plates concept of Gordon Ramsay’s latest British restaurant, Maze, The London Bar will offer a daily changing menu of market specials alongside a variety of tasting dishes. Neil Ferguson, previously Head Chef in Angela Hartnett's kitchen at The Connaught will be the resident Chef de Cuisine. The US opening will be followed with Gordon Ramsay restaurants in Florida and Los Angeles.

Humble Pie...

Gordon recently  completed his autobiography, Humble Pie: a detailed and honest account of his life both in and out of the kitchen, which was published by Harper Collins.

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